Why did Russia sell Alaska to the United States? | Russia Beyond The Headlines Why did Russia sell Alaska to the United States? April 20, 2014 Georgy Manaev , RBTH In 1867, Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the U.S. for $7.2 million. A mere 50 years later, the Americans had earned that amount back 100 times over. How could the imperial officials have given up such a choice parcel? RBTH sorts out the muddled story of the sale of Alaska. Facebook u.s.-russia relations , history , alaska View of Alaska. Source: Alamy / Legion Media A petition calling for Russia’s annexation of Alaska that was posted on the White House website gathered more than 35,000 signatures before it was canceled. Many people still think that the Americans either stole Alaska from the Russians or leased it and did not return it. Despite the widespread myths, the deal was an honest one, and both sides had valid reasons to make it. Alaska before the sale In the 19th century, Russian Alaska was a center of international trade.

In the capital, Novoarkhangelsk (now known as Sitka), merchants traded Chinese fabrics, tea and even ice, which the southern United States needed before the invention of the refrigerator. Ships and factories were built, and coal was mined. People already knew about the numerous gold deposits in the area. Selling this land seemed like madness. Pilots retrace Alaska-to-Siberia Lend-Lease route Russian merchants were drawn to Alaska for the walrus ivory (it was as expensive as elephant ivory) and the valuable sea otter fur, which could be procured by trading with the indigenous peoples of the region. Trading was done by the Russian-American Company (RAC), which was started by adventurers — 18th-century Russian businessmen, courageous travelers and entrepreneurs. The company controlled all of Alaska’s mines and minerals, it could independently enter into trade agreements with other countries, and it had its own flag and currency — leather “marks”. These privileges were granted to the company by the imperial government. The government not only collected massive taxes from the company, it also owned a large part of it — the tsars and their family members were among the RAC’s shareholders.

The Russian Pizarro The main ruler of the Russian settlements in America was the talented merchant Alexander Baranov. Alexander Baranov. Source:GettyImages/Fotobank He built schools and factories, taught the native people to plant rutabaga and potatoes, built fortresses and shipyards, and expanded the sea otter trade. Baranov called himself the “Russian Pizarro” and took a liking to Alaska not only with his purse, but also with his heart — he married the daughter of an Aleut chief. Under Baranov, the RAC brought in enormous revenue: more than 1,000 percent profit. When an ageing Baranov resigned his duties, he was replaced by the captain lieutenant Hagemeister, who brought with him new employees and shareholders from military circles. Statute now dictated that only naval officers could lead the company. The strongmen quickly appropriated the profitable business, but it was their actions that ruined the company. Filthy lucre The new masters set astronomical salaries for themselves — common officers earned 1,500 rubles per year (this was comparable to the salaries of ministers and senators), while the head of the company earned 150,000 rubles.

They bought fur from the local population for half price. As a result, over the next 20 years, the Eskimos and Aleuts killed almost all the sea otters, depriving Alaska of its most profitable trade. The native people suffered and staged uprisings that the Russians quashed by firing on the coastal villages from military ships. The officers began to look for other sources of revenue. Hence the trade in ice and tea began, but the ill-fortuned businessmen could not organize this sensibly either, and lowering their salaries was unthinkable. Consequently, the RAC was transferred to state subsidies — 200,000 rubles per year. But even this did not save the company. A check in the amount of $7.2 million, for the purchase of Alaska. Source: Getty Images / Fotobank Then the Crimean War broke out, and Britain, France and Turkey stood against Russia. It became clear that Russia could neither supply nor defend Alaska — the sea routes were controlled by the allies’ ships. Even the prospect of mining gold dimmed. There was a fear that the British might block Alaska, and then Russia would be left with nothing.

Tensions between Moscow and London grew, while relations with the American authorities were warmer than ever. Both sides almost simultaneously came up with the idea of selling Alaska. So Baron Eduard de Stoeckl, Russia’s envoy in Washington, opened talks with U.S. secretary of state William Seward on behalf of the tsar. The Russian flag refuses to come down While the bureaucrats were negotiating, public opinion in both countries opposed the deal. “How can we give away land that we have put so much effort and time into developing, land where the telegraph has arrived and where gold mines have been found?” the Russian newspapers wrote. “Why does America need this ‘ice box’ and 50,000 wild Eskimos who drink fish oil for breakfast?” the American press asked indignantly. U.S. and Russia introduce visa-free travel for Chukotka and Alaska The press was not alone in this sentiment — Congress also disapproved of the purchase.

But on March 30, 1867, in Washington, D.C., the parties signed the agreement to sell 1.5 million hectares of Russian property in America for $7.2 million, or about 2 cents per acre ($4.74/km2) — a purely symbolic sum. At that time, an unproductive plot of land in Siberia with the same surface area could have cost 1,395 times as much on the domestic market.But the situation was critical — the Russians risked not even receiving this. The official handover of the land occurred in Novoarkhangelsk. The American and Russian soldiers lined up next to the flagpole, from which the Russian flag started its descent to the accompaniment of a canon salute. However, the flag got tangled at the top of the pole. The sailor who climbed up for it threw it down, and it accidentally landed on Russian bayonets. It was a bad omen! Afterward, the Americans started requisitioning the buildings of the town, which was renamed Sitka. Several hundred Russians who decided not to take American citizenship had to evacuate on merchant ships, and they did not reach home until the following year.

The cartographic fall-out over Crimea A short time passed, and gold started flowing from the “ice box”: The Klondike gold rush started in Alaska, bringing the States hundreds of millions of dollars. Of course it was insulting. But it is impossible to know how relations between the world’s largest powers would have developed if Russia had not escaped in time from the problematic and unprofitable region, which only talented and courageous merchants, but not navy bureaucrats, could extract revenue from. Russia made huge mistake when it sold Alaska to USA for only 7.2 million dollars - PravdaReport Russia made huge mistake when it sold Alaska to USA for only 7.2 million dollars 04.04.2007 Russia made huge mistake when it sold Alaska to USA for only 7.2 million dollars Russia and the United States signed a treaty selling Alaska to the U.S. for $7.2 million on March 30, 1867. The deal was considered a great achievement of diplomacy at the time. The Russians began exploring the northwestern coast of North America in the first half of the 17th century.

By and large, Russia discovered the region, and thus owned it for the next 126 years. Private property Saying that the Russian Empire actually owned Alaska would be a sort of exaggeration. In actuality, Alaska Territory was owned by a transnational corporation called “Russian-American Company.” Founded by Siberian merchants in 1799, the corporation had a monopoly on all trade, business, and natural resources in Russian America i.e. Alaska and California, the Island of Sakhalin and Kurile Islands. The reason why the company held sway over the vast areas was clear and simple: the Russian-American Company operated under auspices of the tsarist family. On the one hand, the Russian-American Company took full advantage of the situation. For instance, the Russian managers cut a fictitious title transfer deal with their U.S. partners in the midst of the Crimean War. The agreement was designed to keep Russian assets from being seized by Russia’s enemies e.g. Britain . On the other hand, the company’s close relationship with the Russian elite eventually backfired. A threat began to loom on the horizon. Font Size Everything for sale The threat had taken shape by the late 1850s.

Grand Prince Konstantin Nikolayevich, the tsar’s younger brother and chief of the Russian Naval Headquarters, was threat personified. It was the grand prince who first came up with an idea of selling Alaska. He cited “Russia’s lack of funds” as one of the main arguments to back his proposal. In fact, the Russian Empire had been strapped for funds most of the time though the circumstance was hardly given any consideration by Alexander II as he wrote the following in response to his brother’s proposal: “The idea is worth thinking over.” In other words, the tsar set the ball in motion. Soon the government bureaucrats devised a plan aimed at selling Alaska to the States as quick as possible before the U.S. could get hold of the territory by force. The opinion of a few opponents was apparently brushed aside. Russia failed to reach an agreement with the U.S. following the outbreak of the Civil War. However, the sides resumed talks after the end of the war. Eduard Stekl, a Russian envoy to Washington, was Russia’s main negotiator in the talks. Stekl negotiated a deal for the sale of Alaska for $7.2 million.

It is noteworthy that $165 thousand of the above sum was used for bribing several U.S. senators and newspapermen: those Americans seemed to have their doubts about the feasibility of the deal. Looking back at the way things stood almost 150 years ago, one cannot but be amazed at the stance the Russian government took while dealing with the problem. It appears that the Russian government saw the selling of a huge territory of nearly 1.5 million square kilometers as some kind of a cakewalk. The government of Alexander II got rid of Alaska as if it had been a “non-core asset.” Those financial arguments in favor of the deal look especially ludicrous. The state budget of the Russian Empire totaled about half a billion rubles at the time. Taking into account that the ruble and the dollar were more or less in parity in terms of value during the period, there was no way the deal could have had a considerable beneficial effect on Russia’s coffers. US SELLS ALASKA TO RUSSIA | Weekly World News US SELLS ALASKA TO RUSSIA WASHINGTON – US forced to sell Alaska in order to combat with the rising national debt.

WASHINGTON – US forced to sell Alaska in order to combat with the rising national debt. The US has just announced that the national debt has reached an all time high, topping $14 trillion dollars, that’s approximately $45,300 for every person in the US. The national debt is a result of the US accumulating years upon years of financial obligations dating as far back as the days of George Washington. But since 2005 alone, the debt has nearly doubled. In order to combat the continued rising debt, Congress has been put in the hot seat, being forced to make difficult decisions. It is faced with a few potential options. One, Congress can lift the legal debt limit to create a higher credit limit for the country; Two, dramatically cut spending to keep the government on track and prevent the debt from growing further; or Three, sell government owned properties. After an intense debate on Capitol Hill, Congress decided to go with option number three and sell Alaska back to Russia. The US purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire back in 1867 for the now bargain rate of $7.2 million dollars.

Original Check from US purchase of Alaska “The Russians offered to write us a personal check, but that was unacceptable to the terms of the deal,” said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, “This is a COD kind of deal.” The US stands to turn a hefty profit with the new sale price of $2.85 trillion. This sale will dramatically reduce the debt, buying the US precious time to rework the budget and find a way to keep the rising debt at bay. “We initially thought that leasing the state back to the Russians would be an option but we soon discovered that the cost to administer the lease would actually cause us to go further into debt,” explained Sen. Lisa Murkoski R-AK, “That is why we opted to sell it instead. We tried to sell Puerto Rico too but no one wanted it. We had several open houses but no bites, not a one.” This decision has not been met without extreme outrage by the American public, especially by the citizens of Alaska.

“Just because Sara Palin is from Alaska does not mean that we should be treated like a second class state that can just be sold off on a whim,” said local Alaskan business owner, Bill Kumberlan, “this sale is going to make my life a nightmare, no one on my staff speaks Russian.” It is unclear what other drastic measures Congress may need to take in order to deal with America’s enormous debt. But if Canada wants to make an offer on Vermont, we will gladly take it. They’ve always wanted to succeed anyway. Share this: Alaska: History History History Russian Colonization The disastrous voyage of Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirikov in 1741 began the march of Russian traders across Siberia. The survivors who returned with sea otter skins started a rush of fur hunters to the Aleutian Islands. Grigori Shelekhov in 1784 founded the first permanent settlement in Alaska on Kodiak Island and sent (1790) to Alaska the man who was to dominate the period of Russian influence there, Aleksandr Baranov .

A monopoly was granted to the Russian American Company in 1799, and it was Baranov who directed its Alaskan activities. Baranov extended the Russian trade far down the west coast of North America and even, after several unsuccessful attempts, founded (1812) a settlement in N California. Rivalry for the northwest coast was strong, and British and American trading vessels began to threaten the Russian monopoly. In 1821 the czar issued a ukase (imperial command) claiming the 51st parallel as the southern boundary of Alaska and warning foreign vessels not to trespass beyond it. British and American protests, the promulgation of the Monroe Doctrine , and Russian embroilment elsewhere resulted (1824) in a negotiated settlement of the boundary at lat. 54°40−N (the present southern boundary of Alaska). Russian interests in Alaska gradually declined, and after the Crimean War, Russia sought to dispose of the territory altogether. Early Years as a U.S. Possession In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7,200,000. The U.S.

purchase was accomplished solely through the determined efforts of Secretary of State William H. Seward , and for many years afterward the land was derisively called Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox because of its supposed uselessness. Since Alaska appeared to offer no immediate financial return, it was neglected. The U.S. army officially controlled the area until 1876, when scandals caused the withdrawal of the troops. After a brief period, during which government was in the hands of customs officials, the U.S. navy was given charge (1879). Most of the territory was not even known, although the British (notably John Franklin and Capt. F. W. Beechey ) had explored the coast of the Arctic Ocean, and the Hudson's Bay Company had explored the Yukon. It was not until after the discovery of gold in the Juneau region in 1880 that Alaska was given a governor and a feeble local administration (under the Organic Act of 1884). Missionaries, who had come to the region in the late 1870s, exercised considerable influence.

Most influential was Sheldon Jackson , best known for his introduction of reindeer to help the Alaska Eskimo (Inuit), impoverished by the wanton destruction of the fur seals. Sealing was the subject of a long international controversy (see Bering Sea Fur-Seal Controversy under Bering Sea ), which was not ended until after gold had permanently transformed Alaska. The Gold Rush Paradoxically, the first gold finds that tremendously influenced Alaska were in Canada. The Klondike strike of 1896 brought a stampede, mainly of Americans, and most of them came through Alaska. The big discoveries in Alaska itself followed—Nome in 1898–99, Fairbanks in 1902. The miners and prospectors (the sourdoughs) took over Alaska, and the era of the mining camps reached its height; a criminal code was belatedly applied in 1899. The longstanding controversy concerning the boundary between the Alaska Panhandle and British Columbia was aggravated by the large number of miners traveling the Inside Passage to the gold fields. The matter was finally settled in 1903 by a six-man tribunal, composed of American, Canadian, and British representatives.

The decision was generally favorable to the United States, and a period of rapid building and development began. Mining, requiring heavy financing, passed into the hands of Eastern capitalists, notably the monopolistic Alaska Syndicate. Opposition to these "interests" became the burning issue in Alaska and was catapulted into national politics; Gifford Pinchot and R. A. Ballinger were the chief antagonists, and this was a major issue on which Theodore Roosevelt split with President William Howard Taft. Territorial Status Juneau officially replaced Sitka as capital in 1900, but it did not begin to function as such until 1906. In the same year Alaska was finally awarded a territorial representative in Congress. A new era began for Alaska when local government was established in 1912 and it became a U.S. territory. The building of the Alaska RR from Seward to Fairbanks was commenced with government funds in 1915. Already, however, gold mining was dying out, and Alaska receded into one of its quiet periods. The fishing industry, which had gradually advanced during the gold era, became the major enterprise. Alaska enjoyed an economic boom during World War II.

The Alaska Highway was built, supplying a weak but much-needed link with the United States. After Japanese troops occupied the Aleutian islands of Attu and Kiska, U.S. forces prepared for a counterattack. Attu was retaken in May, 1943, after intense fighting, and the Japanese evacuated Kiska in August after intensive U.S. bombardments. Dutch Harbor became a major key in the U.S. defense system. The growth of air travel after the war, and the permanent military bases established in Alaska resulted in tremendous growth; between 1950 and 1960 the population nearly doubled. Statehood to the Present In 1958, Alaskans approved statehood by a 5 to 1 vote, and on Jan. 3, 1959, Alaska was officially admitted into the Union as a state, the first since Arizona in 1912. On Mar. 27, 1964, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America occurred in Alaska, taking approximately 114 lives and causing extensive property damage.

Some cities were almost totally destroyed, and the fishing industry was especially hard hit, with the loss of fleets, docks, and canneries from the resulting tsunami. Reconstruction, with large-scale federal aid, was rapid. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (1971) gave roughly 44 million acres (17.8 million hectares; 10% of the state) and almost $1 billion to Alaskan native peoples in exchange for renunciation of all aboriginal claims to land in the state. In 1989 the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, releasing 11 million gallons of oil into the water in the worst oil spill in U.S. history up to that time and severely damaging the ecosystem. A jury in 1994 found Exxon Corp. (now ExxonMobil) and the ship's captain negligent, but the amount of punitive damages ($507.5 million) to be paid to some 33,000 commercial fishermen and other plaintiffs was ultimately fixed by a Supreme Court decision in 2008, which severely reduced the original award ($2.5 billion).

Sections in this article: Milestones: 1866–1898 - Office of the Historian Milestones: 1866–1898 Purchase of Alaska, 1867 The purchase of Alaska in 1867 marked the end of Russian efforts to expand trade and settlements to the Pacific coast of North America, and became an important step in the United States rise as a great power in the Asia-Pacific region. Beginning in 1725, when Russian Czar Peter the Great dispatched Vitus Bering to explore the Alaskan coast, Russia had a keen interest in this region, which was rich in natural resources and lightly inhabited. As the United States expanded westward in the early 1800s, Americans soon found themselves in competition with Russian explorers and traders. St. Petersburg, however, lacked the financial resources to support major settlements or a military presence along the Pacific coast of North America and permanent Russian settlers in Alaska never numbered more than four hundred. Defeat in the Crimean War further reduced Russian interest in this region.

Signing of the Alaska Treaty, 1867 Russia offered to sell Alaska to the United States in 1859, believing the United States would off-set the designs of Russia’s greatest rival in the Pacific, Great Britain. The looming U.S. Civil War delayed the sale, but after the war, Secretary of State William Seward quickly took up a renewed Russian offer and on March 30, 1867, agreed to a proposal from Russian Minister in Washington, Edouard de Stoeckl, to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million. The Senate approved the treaty of purchase on April 9; President Andrew Johnson signed the treaty on May 28, and Alaska was formally transferred to the United States on October 18, 1867. This purchase ended Russia’s presence in North America and ensured U.S. access to the Pacific northern rim. For three decades after its purchase the United States paid little attention to Alaska, which was governed under military, naval, or Treasury rule or, at times, no visible rule at all. Seeking a way to impose U.S. mining laws, the United States constituted a civil government in 1884.

Skeptics had dubbed the purchase of Alaska “Seward’s Folly,” but the former Secretary of State was vindicated when a major gold deposit was discovered in the Yukon in 1896, and Alaska became the gateway to the Klondike gold fields. The strategic importance of Alaska was finally recognized in World War II. Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959. Why Did Russia Sell Us Alaska So Cheap? (less than two cents an acre) Why Did Russia Sell Us Alaska So Cheap? (less than two cents an acre) American Heritage ^ | 10/18/07 | John Steele Gordon Posted on 10/18/2007 4:40:53 PM PDT by Libloather Why Did Russia Sell Us Alaska So Cheap? By John Steele Gordon The check, dated August 1, 1868, that was used to pay the purchase price for Alaska to Eduard de Stoeckl on behalf of the emperor of Russia. (National Archives) A hundred and forty years ago today, sovereignty over Alaska was transferred from the Russian Empire to the United States. The transfer completed the national territory on the North American continent.

It was one of the great bargains of all time. For a price of $7.2 million, this country got 365 million acres of land and another 13 million of water, at slightly less than two cents an acre. Over the last 140 years, we have taken untold riches in gold, oil, and other minerals out of the ground and billions of dollars worth of fish out of the surrounding waters. And yet with a population of only 1.1 people per square mile, Alaska is still in a very real sense the last American frontier, a land rich in wildlife, open spaces, and incomparable natural beauty. It also gave the United States the most diverse national territory in the world. Today the United States is the only country whose territory encompasses arctic, temperate, and tropical areas. In 1725, a few weeks before his death, Peter the Great wanted to determine if far eastern Siberia was attached to the North American continent, so he dispatched Vitus Bering, a Danish-born sailor, to find out. In his first expedition, Bering determined that Asia and North America were separated by the strait that now bears his name, but he did not sight Alaska.

Not until 1741, on Berings second expedition, did he make landfall there. His ship was forced to take refuge on what is now called Bering Island, and there the explorer died of scurvy at the age of 60, along with many of his crewmen. The survivors, however, made it back to Siberia with sea otter pelts, among the most valuable of furs. And it would be the fur trade that would draw the Russians to Alaska. Russian fur traders and others, including Captain James Cook, repeatedly visited Alaskan waters, but it wasnt until 1784 that the Russians permanently settled, on Kodiak Island. In 1799 the Russian-American Company was formed, and it established a capital at New Archangel, now Sitka. The Russian-American Company would run Russian Alaska much the way the British East India Company ran India at the time. But while India was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire, Alaska was a very minor part of the Russian one. At the end of the Russian period, there were only a few hundred Russians living in Alaska, along with about 8,000 natives within reach of Russian authorities.

Elsewhere there were perhaps another 50,000 Eskimos and Indians. No one really knew. Moreover, Alaska was very difficult for Russia to defend, and the tsar feared encroachment from British North America. Russia didnt want to spend the money necessary to secure Alaska but also didnt want to strengthen the British by selling it to them. Russia and Britain, after all, had been at war in the Crimea from 1854 to 1856. Therefore in 1857 Tsar Alexander II instructed his minister in Washington, Eduard de Stoeckl, to feel out the American government about a sale. De Stoeckl had been posted to Washington since 1841, and he had many friends in the American government, including Sen. William Seward of New York. He had many more in Washington society. He even married an American woman, Elisa Howard, of Springfield, Massachusetts. Negotiations began in 1859, but they broke off when the Civil War approached. In February 1867 they began again.

By this time Seward was Secretary of State under President Andrew Johnson, and so de Stoeckl negotiated with a friend. After an all-night session, agreement was reached on the morning of March 30. The deal didnt necessarily look like such a steal at the time. Some objected, just as earlier some had objected to every other substantial addition to the national territory. Alaska was dubbed Sewards Folly and Andrew Johnsons Polar Bear Garden by opponents of the acquisition. The New York World thought it contained nothing of value except fur-bearing animals and that most of them were on the edge of extinction from over-hunting anyway. Horace Greeley, in the New York Tribune, dismissed Alaska as nothing more than a frozen wilderness. But many favored the acquisition, especially Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, who very conveniently was head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which would have to approve the treaty and send it to the full Senate. Russia had backed the North in the Civil War, while Britain had been at best an unfriendly neutral. Sumner argued that we should help those who had helped us.

Anti-British feeling was very much part of the warp and woof of American politics at the time, for the War of 1812 was still within the living memory of many. So was the idea that we were destined one day to see the whole of the North American continent under the American flag. Drawing a parallel with the ancient Roman senate, which barred kings from within the citys gates, Sumner declared that our city can be nothing less than the North American continent. By purchasing Alaska, he argued, we would dismiss one more monarch from this continent. He noted that the French and Spanish kings had already departed from North America and now the tsar was going. The implication was clear that Queen Victoria would be next. On April 9 the treaty was ratified by the Senate, 27 to 12, barely above the necessary two-thirds majority. (A subsequent ceremonial vote to make the approval unanimous was carried by a vote of 37 to 2.) The House had no constitutional say in whether to approve the treaty, but it had to approve the appropriation of money. Some thought the price was too high.

However, in fiscal year 1867 the government had revenues of $491 million and expenses of $347 million. With a huge surplus that year, $7.2 million was not a problem. The House finally approved the money in July 1868, by a vote of 113 to 48. By that time, of course, Alaska was already in American hands. On October 18, 1867, Capt. Alexis Pestchouroff turned over control to Gen. Lovell Rousseau, saying, General Rousseau, by authority from His Majesty, the Emperor of Russia, I transfer to the United States the territory of Alaska." (A strange coincidence linked Sumner and Rousseau. In 1856 a southern congressman had attacked Sumner with a cane in a dispute over slavery, while in 1866 Rousseau had attacked a fellow member of the House of Representatives with a cane in a dispute over Reconstruction. In both cases the attacker resigned and was reelected to his seat.) Five months later Gen. Jefferson C. Davis (a Union general and no relation to the Confederate president) became the first commander of the Department of Alaska.

Alaska would not become a territory until 1912. By that time the wisdom of buying Alaska had long since been clear, especially after the discovery of gold in the Klondike. After World War II, Sewards wisdom in buying Alaska would be even clearer. The great geopolitical struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union dominated the international politics of the second half of the twentieth century. It would have been fought very differentlyand would have been much harder to winhad the Soviet Union possessed a major foothold on the North American continent. In 1867 Alaska had been a remote and expensive tidbit of empire that the Russian government was only too glad to get rid of. A hundred years later, the Soviet government must have bitterly regretted its sale for a pittance. John Steele Gordon writes The Business of America for American Heritage magazine. His most recent book is An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power (HarperCollins). So, what kind of deals might there be in the future? Perhaps the US selling California to Mexico? Or... selling New England to Canada? ... or better yet, the US paying Canada to take New England?

{still can't believe this "state" of Mass I'm living in, after Tuesday's election} 3 posted on 10/18/2007 4:50:13 PM PDT by C210N To: Libloather Why Did Russia Sell Us Alaska So Cheap? Cause back in the 1860s it was just useless tundra. Nobody predicted the importance of oil. Mining for gold and diamonds that far north was impractical. Also, nobody would have guessed the land would be used for missile defense. 4 posted on 10/18/2007 4:53:53 PM PDT by varyouga ("Rove is some mysterious God of politics & mind control" - DU 10-24-06) To: C210N So, what kind of deals might there be in the future? None. Any president who doesn't follow Abe Lincoln's lead in preserving the Union isn't worthy of the office.

6 posted on 10/18/2007 4:56:41 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek To: Libloather At the time it was known as Seward’s Folly. 7 posted on 10/18/2007 4:57:46 PM PDT by HuntsvilleTxVeteran (Remember the Alamo, Goliad and WACO, It is Time for a new San Jacinto) To: Libloather i've been to anchorage, fairbanks, gnome, etc. alaska is indeed the edge of the earth. i spent 16 hours driving toward denali (mt. mckinley) after i first saw its peak. amazing. flying over the arctic circle in a single prop; watching the polar bears try to run away was classic. watching the whales play around in some non-descript inlet was priceless. watching japanese tourists set up a tripod and take pictures of grizzlies barely 50 ft. away was a lesson in stupidity. having a couple of wild horses stick their heads in my parents car (out of a herd of a couple hundred) was beautiful. i will never forget alaska.

i hope to go back someday! it changed my perspective on life as a child 8 posted on 10/18/2007 5:01:43 PM PDT by robomatik Great post! Interesting and a useful historical reference.. Seward's Folly... I just love that phrase. Plus the clarity with which this subject shows us that the "press" is often monumentally wrong. Not that they would ever express regret at pontificating on everything or, heaven forbid, admit that they were wrong!. 9 posted on 10/18/2007 5:03:45 PM PDT by Publius6961 (MSM: Israelis are killed by rockets; Lebanese are killed by Israelis.) To: HuntsvilleTxVeteran; Liz Horace Greeley, in the New York Tribune, dismissed Alaska as nothing more than a frozen wilderness. The New York Tribune was established by Horace Greeley in 1841 and was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States. In 1924 it was merged with the New York Herald to form the New York Herald Tribune, which ceased publication in 1967.

May the New York Times meet the same fate... 10 posted on 10/18/2007 5:08:04 PM PDT by Libloather (That's just what I need - some two-bit, washed up, loser politician giving me weather forecasts...) To: varyouga “No one will ever want a computer in their home” 11 posted on 10/18/2007 5:09:14 PM PDT by ari-freedom (I am for traditional moral values, a strong national defense, and free markets.) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ] To: Libloather It was a Great bargain,but what good is it if the Dummycrats won’t allow us to use the natural resources we find there?

12 posted on 10/18/2007 5:09:41 PM PDT by puppypusher (The world is going to the dogs.) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: Libloather It also bears mentioning that President Polk in -- I believe -- 1848, had pushed hard for the Texas territory and for the Oregon Territory. This was the era of manifest destiny, and the US claim to the Oregon Territory, while principally against Great Britain, took us right up to the border of the land controlled by Russia. We were expanding rapidly -- the Oregon question was settled, but what would come next? Russia probably thought they had two choices: get money by selling, or lose the "worthless" territory in a war. Getting cash on the barrel head, so to speak, probably looked like the best option. 13 posted on 10/18/2007 5:20:20 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (The broken wall, the burning roof and tower.

And Agamemnon dead.) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: Libloather I remember a lot of this from high school history but a lot I had forgotten too. Very interesting. Thanks for posting it. 14 posted on 10/18/2007 5:24:09 PM PDT by Graybeard58 ( Remember and pray for SSgt. Matt Maupin - MIA/POW- Iraq since 04/09/04) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies ] To: Graybeard58 One of the Russian Premieres said that they already had Siberia and they didn’t need Alaska, which is a speck of territory by comparison. In pre-oil times this was probably a sensible idea and the scorn heaped upon Seward seemed to back that logic up.

17 posted on 10/18/2007 5:33:52 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies ] To: Libloather Perhaps the Czar would rather sell Alaska cheap to the US than let the British have it as part of Canada. After all Russia was humiliated by Britain and France in the Crimean war just a little over a decade previously. Alaska was too far away for the Russians to control anyway. 18 posted on 10/18/2007 5:45:20 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative To: Libloather I’m betting that they knew all along that they would stir up sentiment against ANWR drilling. 20 posted on 10/18/2007 5:57:19 PM PDT by GingisK [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: All We bought Alaska for 7.2 million, we can’t even build a bathroom in a state park for that amount anymore.

21 posted on 10/18/2007 5:57:19 PM PDT by escapefromboston (manny ortez: mvp) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: Libloather When I was stationed in Egypt in the late 80's we had about 15 Soviet officers and their families stationed with us. We had a lot of conversations during that year ans several times they said that we should give them Alaska back, since it is Russian territory. We Americans always laughed - but those Sovs were serious! 22 posted on 10/18/2007 5:57:59 PM PDT by USMCVet To: Libloather I know someone still waiting to cash in his deeds for their Quaker Oats Klondike Big Inch .

23 posted on 10/18/2007 6:10:44 PM PDT by Daffynition (The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: bill1952 I really have no idea what happened there other than to assume that wacko dems won big. Niki Tsongas won by only 5% over Jim Ogonowski. Both are 1st time candidates; Jim's bro was pilot of a/c that hit the WTC on 9/11. Her first vote today in DC was to override Bush's health insurance veto. 24 posted on 10/18/2007 6:33:48 PM PDT by C210N [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ] To: Daffynition Ironically, there are reports that-Bakers late-night brainstorm, those 7-by-5-inch deeds that were 35 times larger than the piece of land they represented, are bringing upwards of $40 in some antique shops. Better hold on to yours.

It maybe worth something someday... 25 posted on 10/18/2007 6:38:27 PM PDT by Libloather (That's just what I need - some two-bit, washed up, loser politician giving me weather forecasts...) To: Libloather Russia probable could look into the future and could tell there would be a crooked GOP Senator. 26 posted on 10/18/2007 6:41:17 PM PDT by Wheee The People (Go FRed) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: Libloather Maybe ... I’m grateful that the marketing people at Quaker Oats didn’t have any sway over state department in 1868!

;-D 27 posted on 10/18/2007 6:42:19 PM PDT by Daffynition (The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies ] To: USMCVet When I was stationed in Egypt in the late 80's we had about 15 Soviet officers and their families stationed with us. We had a lot of conversations during that year ans several times they said that we should give them Alaska back, since it is Russian territory. We Americans always laughed - but those Sovs were serious! Did you ever mention to them that their Siberia is at least as rich in mineral resources as Alaska? The only development of Siberian riches came from Stalin's convict gold-mining camps such as the infamous Kolyma, and those essentially slave-labor camps have been almost completely shut down since the late 1950s. The Russians can't develop their own Siberia, and they aren't handicapped at all by any environmental concerns. What do they want with Alaska?

28 posted on 10/18/2007 6:54:14 PM PDT by xJones To: Wheee The People; MurryMom Russia probable could look into the future and could tell there would be a crooked GOP Senator. If they were that smart, they would be able to forecast the corrupt, impeached *Crintons. On the other hand, the brilliant Chicoms did see it coming - eh? 29 posted on 10/18/2007 7:06:51 PM PDT by Libloather (That's just what I need - some two-bit, washed up, loser politician giving me weather forecasts...) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies ] To: Libloather Back in the late 1950’s, there was an alternate history that was written for “Look Magazine” or “Colliers Magazine” (IIRC) where the South won the Civil War and remained a sovereign nation after it. As time went on, tensions between the USA and CSA eased to the point where they were allies in World Wars I and II.

The consequence of the USA losing the South was that we rejected the purchase of Alaska since the US needed the money for reconstruction. Well, after the wars, we had the Cold War much like in our history but you had Soviet troops stationed in “Russian America” where in the Yukon, you had to have many Canadian, USA, and CSA troops garrisoned there to offset the Soviets. There was also talk of the CSA and USA reuniting because of the Cold War. Of course, perhaps a CSA victory in the Civil war could have unleashed “butterflies” that would change things enough to where the world might not have followed our history, but it is an interesting thought to say the least. 30 posted on 10/18/2007 7:17:35 PM PDT by Nowhere Man (RIP, Corky, I miss you, little princess!!! (Corky b. 5-12-1989 - d.

9-21-2007)) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: USMCVet Some truth to the fact that Russia sold the trading rights / economic rights to alaska for a period of a 100 years; why the feds wanted statehood so badly in 50’s. Most Alaskans at the time were against statehood, they wanted to remain like Peurto Rico because they knew there wasn’t a strong economy that would produce enough taxes to fund state govt. Feds shipped in 30-40 thousand military people, quickly changed voting law and thru election. That’s how my 95 year old neighbor who homesteaded his place in 1942 and is a super conservative repub; tells it. Also remember during civil war, the czar sent western russian fleet into san fran harbor for a few years to help ole Lincoln out. More to everything I do think. Ya know, none of that really matters anyway, because all Alaskans are becoming more like Americans everyday and Alaska is ethnically a part of america. We do have lots of russkies here anyway, proximity to Siberia and economic freedom.

Most are ok; they want a better life just like we do. I had several russian friends tell me some things are better here some worse. You have more opportunity but also in russia, everyone had 2 week paid vacation at govt cabin on the blk sea; they hadn’t had a vacation since coming to alaska, ha. Also they didn’t like paying 10 gran to have a baby when med care was free for everyone in russia. They use to say Russia not all bad;;; but they weren’t going back either, ha. 31 posted on 10/18/2007 7:28:27 PM PDT by Eska [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies ] To: Nowhere Man If CSA won the Civil War, then I don't think we would had gotten involved in both World Wars. Germany would have been the dominant power in Europe and the colonies in Africa would still exist today. However, the Soviet Union is still likely to exist since USA would never have been strong enough to challenge the Communists.

32 posted on 10/18/2007 8:13:10 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies ] To: Nowhere Man If CSA won the Civil War, then I don't think we would had gotten involved in both World Wars. Germany would have been the dominant power in Europe and the colonies in Africa would still exist today. However, the Soviet Union is still likely to exist since USA would never have been strong enough to challenge the Communists. 33 posted on 10/18/2007 8:13:23 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies ] To: Nowhere Man If CSA won the Civil War, then I don't think we would had gotten involved in both World Wars. Germany would have been the dominant power in Europe and the colonies in Africa would still exist today. However, the Soviet Union is still likely to exist since USA would never have been strong enough to challenge the Communists.

34 posted on 10/18/2007 8:13:58 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies ] To: Libloather Inspiring bit of history. Our government did something right back then. Hard to imagine such a sale occurring today. 35 posted on 10/18/2007 8:15:56 PM PDT by Ciexyz [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MinorityRepublican Historical what-ifs are more complicated. For instance, Harry Turtledove, the novelist, who makes his living with historical what-ifs, in a CSA victory what-if, has the USA entering WW I on the Central Powers side, with the CSA on the Allied side. This is less implausible than it sounds, since the USA would have been sandwiched in between Canada, still very British, and the CSA, which would have been aligned with Britain as its major trading partner, had its war of independence succeeded.

A Central Power victory, or Germany not so desparate as to use Lenin to disrupt Russia’s war efforts, and there might not have been a Soviet Union at all. (And the Caliph might still sit on the throne of the Sultan in Constantinople so that the Muslims wouldn’t the all out of sorts these days.) 36 posted on 10/18/2007 8:40:33 PM PDT by The_Reader_David (And when they behead your own people in the wars which are to come, then you will know. . .) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies ] To: Libloather Alaska wasn't considered a useless piece of tundra even at the time of sale. It was rich hunting grounds (fur and sea animals also). The price was based on possible hunting revenues. Gold hadn't been discovered yet. The Russian government badly needed money for reforming it's military after the Crimean war. That was the reason.

37 posted on 10/19/2007 1:55:48 AM PDT by Freelance Warrior (The barbarian) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: USMCVet “several times they said that we should give them Alaska back, since it is Russian territory.” ............. Not suprising, they wanted the whole world too. Its not like they don’t have more than they need now. I’ll give them about 25 more years and see what they will have left. 38 posted on 10/19/2007 5:09:17 AM PDT by Bringbackthedraft (Staying home or voting 3rd Party, Elects Hillary!) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies ] To: Libloather Why Did Russia Sell Us Alaska So Cheap? In a nutshell: They needed the money. And they wanted to be certain the British didn't get it and make it part of Canada.

39 posted on 10/19/2007 8:05:47 PM PDT by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ] To: MinorityRepublican If the CSA hadda won, the USA couldna afforded Alaska and the Brits woulda got it. With the alternative cotton supplies that the Brits had fixed up in the Civil War, the CSA wouldna had the money like before, so it woulda collapsed from its internal contradictions. There’da been a second Civil War, which the USA woulda won; but it woulda probably still have had segregated armed forces in both World Wars....it might even have agreed the Treaty of Versailles and volunteered to get into WW2....on behalf of the Chinese, in 1937. So, no Pearl Harbor. And u probably woulda got Alaska as the price for financially supporting the Brits from 1915...assuming that we didn’t pick up Hawaii in the 1870s.

40 posted on 02/12/2015 3:15:06 PM PST by fictionlines (The big bong theory.) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies ] Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works. RUSSIA WANTS ALASKA BACK! | Weekly World News RUSSIA WANTS ALASKA BACK! MOSCOW – 144 years after selling Alaska to the U.S., Russia wants it back. MOSCOW – 144 years after selling Alaska to the U.S., Russia wants it back. March 30 marked 144 years since the day when Russia sold Alaska to the United States for five cents per hectare. The adequate agreement was signed at 4 a.m. by the Russian Ambassador to Washington Eduard Stoeckl. The government of Alexander II sold the huge territory of over 1.5 square kilometers for $7.2 million, gold (11 million rubles, gold).

Now, Vladmir Putin wants Alaska back and he’s told Pravda that he will make it happen before Obama is out of office. Back in 1867, many Russians were perplexed as to why the government sold the territory which the people of the country had been developing for 126 years. Many in the country were surprised that the selling price for Alaska was so low. In America, the deal raised many eyebrows too. They found it hard to understand why the country needed 365 million acres of frozen land. The price for that land was too high, many Americans thought. William Seward, then-Secretary of State, was conducting negotiations with Russia regarding Alaska. He also signed the sales agreement, and he received most criticism for that. Rumor has it that the senators who approved the ratification of the agreement, were bribed by the Russian ambassador. Indeed, historians say that Stoeckl received $25,000 from Alexander II for his efforts. If bribes did happen, they were probably the bribes that contributed greatly to the development of the country, Americans historians say. Gold was found on Alaska several years after it was no longer a part of Russia.

Oil and gas reserves discovered there were worth hundreds of billions of dollars. It is worthy of note that the sale of Alaska led to long-term negative consequences for the United States. Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos did not recognize the deal. They were granted US citizenship only in 1924. The situation changed after the discovery of enormous oil reserves in 1968. Three years later, Washington made a decision worth of Solomon. Alaskan Aborigines received approximately 11 percent of the state territory in their property and a share in oil-mining corporations. Today, 60 percent of Alaska’s territory is owned by the federal authorities of the United States. Twenty-eight percent is owned by the state itself. One percent of Alaska is in private property. Russia wants it all. The Russians plan on forcing Americans off their land starting this July. Russian Empress Ekaterina II sold Alaska to the States. A popular song by Russian band Lube called “Don’t Fool Around, America” from 1989 has the following line: “Ekaterina, you were not right.” There’s a new popular song in Russia, “We Got Alaska Back!” Share this:

Question: In what year was Alaska sold to the US?
Answer: 1867